"Ask and..."

Ask and...

...it shall be given to you.

That's the first of the 3 parts of the concept we began talking about yesterday: "The Concept of A.S.K." , a Biblical concept which, I believe, can be applied to all areas of our lives and one that I believe can get us back "on track" to living the life of our dreams and our passion.

Yesterday we talked about raising the level of our expectation. But, the question is this: how do you know that your level of expectation NEEDS to be raised?

You have to ASK the right questions about your life and be willing to find the answers!

We should ALL be constantly asking ourselves questions about what we are doing and/or trying to accomplish in and with our lives so that we may stay "on course" or "on track" in this pursuit.

What questions should we be asking?

1. Why am I here? What is my PURPOSE for being on this earth? Hopefully you have come to realize that you are not here for you alone! We are all connected by those around us and the ever decreasing size of our world thanks to the technology that exists today.

Last week we talked about the fact that you are UNIQUELY you! There is NO ONE ELSE in the whole world like you! You leave a very unique "life fingerprint" on your world and the question we asked concerning this was, "What imprint are YOU leaving behind?".

It's pretty much the same question just worded differently.

2. What Am I Doing to Fulfill This Purpose? Once I understand what my purpose is (you may never come up with the complete answer and you will likely see the answer slowly unfold before you over the course of time) I must then ask myself the question of, "What am I doing about it?"

3. HOW Will I Fulfill or Continue to Fulfill This Purpose? This is the "what action is needed" part of the equation - WHAT DO I DO?

Are you serious about asking these questions? Will you spend the time necessary to adequately explore the possible answers to these powerful questions about your life?

4. Will I? This is likely the most important question that MUST be answered. You see, going through the process of discovering your purpose and what you must do to fulfill that purpose is a wonderful - and needed - thing in our lives. However, if we are not willing to actually DO something about it, it really doesn't amount to much, does it?

You see, the part of the "A.S.K. Concept" on this part is, "...and it will be given to you."

Do you expect it to just be dropped in your lap? I hope not! But many do!

The answers WILL be revealed to you IF you sincerely want to know the answers! You may ask, "Why would anyone ask a question that they don't want the answer to?" It happens all of the time and you likely even do it from time to time.

Sometimes the "action" of asking the questions pacifies us to the point of "feeling good" and thinking we have done all we need to do. Sure, we may be willing to ask the questions - but are we willing to really look for the answers?

And, then, when the answers are revealed are we willing to take ACTION with those answers?

"Ask and it WILL be given to you!" That's a promise for those that genuinely ask.

This is more difficult than one might think. It takes the willingness to be 100% honest with yourself and really look deep at who you are and why you're here and what you are or aren't doing about it. And then, the hardest part... the decision to take action on what you find.

I wish you success on this journey that we are discussing this week. Make no mistake, the journey will go far beyond this week, my friend! This journey will likely take you weeks and months if not years but, in my opinion, it is one we MUST all take if we are serious about living up to our potential and living a life of passion. This also will lead to living the life of your dreams.

And, as you travel this journey, always remember to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Learning Life's Adventure Lesson

Learning Life's Adventure Lesson

(Yeah, the type/font is going to be a little different because I want this to look more like something you'd do for a class -- will it work? Eh, who knows?)

This week we have been talking about the fact that life is an adventure! That being so, we must understand that the word "adventure" does not always mean "enjoyable". Let me remind you that the adventures we see people participate in usually have the "exhilaration factor" highlighted and you usually don't see the struggle aspect.

Sometimes you do, and I'm thankful for those programs that show the good, the bad AND the ugly of an adventure!

Too many times we wistfully watch a television program and think about how wonderful it would be "IF ONLY" we could have such an adventure in our life!

So, DO something about it.

That's right. If you want to live a life of adventure then DO it!

You see, you don't have to go climb a high mountain in a foreign country or travel around the world to have an adventure. Sure, it'd be quite an adventure to be able to do those things but, my friend, GET THIS POINT - adventure is awaiting you each and every day right where you are! Are you willing to take the risk (the good, bad AND the ugly) that comes with it?

And, yes, trying to figure out how you're going to survive when you have several mouths to feed and you just lost your job IS an adventure. Sure, it's one we'd rather not have to live through - but, regardless, it IS an adventure.

"Oh wait, that's not the kind of adventure I was talking about when I said I wish I had some adventure in my life."

Sorry. Too bad. It happens anyway, doesn't it?

Without repeating myself too much please understand that you CAN survive. The proof comes in the fact that either YOU have survived before or you know others that have done so. So, YES, either you can do it AGAIN or realize that you, too, CAN survive and make it through this "adventure" in your life.

You will hear - my guess is 100% of the time - those that experience these extreme adventures in their life talk about what they learned about themselves in the process. I'd guess that if you go through such a thing and you DON'T learn some important lessons about yourself - you probably died along the way!

But not before you learned something.

The example I used in today's podcast was this: "If you're going to have your heart ripped out due to losing a loved one, why not - WHY NOT - try to learn something through the process?"

Again, perhaps we learned not to take people for granted, or the day for granted. Perhaps we learned the value of telling those close to you that you love them as often as possible. But, learn SOMETHING! And, the thing is, whether you actually realize it or not, you DO learn something from life's adventure struggles.

If you are currently involved in a "life adventure", take a moment and ask yourself a.) what you ARE learning and, b.) what you NEED to learn in the process.

If you are struggling financially perhaps ask yourself what you NEED to learn so that you can prevent this from being a recurring cycle in your life.

THIS IS IMPERATIVE if we are going to not only survive but also THRIVE in this adventure we call life!

You can do it and you CAN grow and learn as you encounter life's adventures.

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Surviving Life's Adventure

Surviving Life's Adventure

Just like the roller coaster above, life has it's UPs and it has it's DOWNs!

When you really think about it, what I have said this week is definitely true - LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE!

It just seems to be "human nature" for us to like it/enjoy it when things are on the "up" swing, right? However, I don't know that I've ever met anyone that actually expressed a liking to life when it is in a "down" swing and doing so at break-neck speed.

Oh, I've read words from people that have said we need to do this, but I've never actually met one. Have you?

So, here's the focus for the day - you CAN survive life's adventure!

You DO HAVE the ability to survive the struggles as well as life's celebrations!

How do I know that? Simple. You're still here.

The fact that you are still here reading this blog shows that YOU have the ability to survive life's ups and downs even if it's not fun!

"As long as there is breath there is hope!" I came up with this quote over a year ago and it is as true today as it was then and it will continue to be true for the rest of time!

As long as you are alive and breathing there is HOPE for something to change. And YOU have the ability to put that change into action.

Are you going to tell me that you have never had to get creative in order to survive life's adventure? Sure you have! Hey, "McGyver" has nothing on you! You've had to learn how to juggle bills or juggle jobs or..... you can fill in this part, right?

Has it always been easy? NO!

But, remember, no adventure is "easy" - that's what makes it an adventure! The risk involved ensures that it is not going to be an easy task. Seriously, what would be the adventure if it was all easy?

Now, please understand that I KNOW it's easier for me to sit and type these words than to remember them when things get tough. But, I know this about myself as well. I CAN because I already HAVE!

That's right. Just like you (and everyone else) I have survived which tells me that I can do it again - regardless of what life throws at me. And, yes, some things may knock me for a bigger loop and make it harder to get back up on my feet....but I WILL get back up on my feet. I know I can and I know I will.

Why? Because I - like you - am a SURVIVOR of life's adventure!

Take a look back at your life - as painful as it may be - and just notice times in your life that you have pulled through and survived when, at the time, it seemed like it might be impossible to do so.

Yeah, see? You CAN do it. You've done it before and you can do it again.

So, what's there to be afraid of?

Indeed, life IS an adventure and it's an adventure that YOU can survive.

So... let's go!

And, as you do so...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike